Monthly Archives: January 2016

Hobbits, Beer, and Theology

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

For fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and the literary club that formed around him in the 1930s to the 1950s, you will know how beer, hobbits, and theology go together. Each week, for a two and a half decades, a group of … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Reflections | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, fantasy, Inklings, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Lord of the Rings, Madeleine L'Engle, Narnia, Roger Lancelyn Green, speculative fiction | 20 Comments

Reconsidering the Lindskoog Affair

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Perhaps no figure has caused as much tension in the community of C.S. Lewis scholars and fans as Kathryn Lindskoog. In 1978, shortly after the publication of C.S. Lewis’ The Dark Tower and Other Stories, Walter Hooper found his editorial … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reflections | Tagged A.N. Wilson, Abigail Santamaria, C.S. Lewis, Charlie Starr, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, conspiracy theory, forgery, J.R.R. Tolkien, Joy Davidman, Kathryn Lindskoog, Ransom Trilogy, Samuel Joeckel, The Canadian C.S. Lewis Journal, The Dark Tower, Walter Hooper | 107 Comments

Call for Submissions

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I have been pleased to have had a blog published at the Fellowship of the King. They have now sent out a call for poetry, short stories, and essays. Check it out! “The Fellowship of The King” (www.thefellowshipoftheking.net) is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, News & Links | Tagged art, C.S. Lewis, fantasy, g k chesterton, George MacDonald, History, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, liberal arts, literary criticism, philosophy, theology, writing | 18 Comments

sabbath unplugged

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Author Doug Coupland argued that when we reach a certain level of technological connectivity we can’t go back. We are lost when we leave our cell phone at home. When we get our new Smart Phone platform or the latest … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged CBC, Douglas Coupland, evangelicalism, Geez, Generation X, Kurt Cobain, Leonard Sweet, pop culture, sabbath, tech sabbath, technology, The Matrix, theology, Theology of Culture | 24 Comments

Is Narnia an Allegory?

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

No. It’s not. While tempted to leave it at that and produce the shortest blog of history, I think it is important to let the Narnian himself address the question. C.S. Lewis was, after all, a literary scholar who had … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, On Writing | Tagged allegory, books, C.S. Lewis, children's literature, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, fantasy, Fictional Universes, J.R.R. Tolkien, Narnia, Ransom Trilogy, Reading, Science Fiction, The Fellowship of the Ring, writing | 66 Comments

On the Passing of Alan Rickman and the Adaptation of Books to Film

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on Letters from the Edge of Elfland:
David Russell Mosley ? Epiphanytide 14 January 2016 The Edge of Elfland Hudson, New Hampshire Dear Friends and Family, As many of you have already heard or read, Alan Rickman, an…

Posted in Reflections | 8 Comments

C.S. Lewis in The Christian Century

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I have recently been listed in the CCblogs Network (you can see the little logo to the right). This is a blogging community hosted by The Christian Century, an American magazine that highlights Christian faith and practice on the progressive and liberal … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged apologetics, Bible, Christianity Today, evangelicalism, God in the Dock, liberal Christianity, Pittenger, Reflections on the Psalms, Reinhold Niebuhr, The Christian Century, The Screwtape Letters, theology, W.H. Auden | 11 Comments

Faërie Stories in The Labyrinth: A David Bowie Tribute Post

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

David Bowie is dead. We woke up to the news as weather giants threw the sky against our windows and rocked the house in their rollicking. I had just been thinking about Bowie yesterday, but I suppose everyone has. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds | Tagged David Bowie, Escher, faerie, fairytales, fantasy, Fictional Universes, film, intertextuality, jennifer connelly, Jim Henson, Labyrinth, muppets, music, Ziggy Stardust | 19 Comments

The Inklings and Science Fiction: A New Online Class

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on The Oddest Inkling:
You are invited to take a fantastic class this spring: “The Inklings and Science Fiction,” taught by Douglas A. Anderson! You can take for it credit, or choose from two levels of auditing. Check…

Posted in News & Links, Reflections | Tagged Arthur C. Clarke, Brian Aldiss, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Science Fiction | 7 Comments

The Top 12 Posts of All Time

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

#12. “‘Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to be Said’ by C.S. Lewis.” Perhaps no one would be more surprised than C.S. Lewis himself at the success of his classic children’s stories, The Chronicles of Narnia. Hundreds of millions … Continue reading →